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About Uscannabis2022-03-14T15:41:29+00:00

Our Team

About Us

Cannabis and Psychosis: Exploring the Link is a project of the Schizophrenia Society of Canada (SSC). Guided by the expertise of our Youth Advisory Committee, Content Advisors and Scientific Advisors, we aim to create a hub for youth to access and engage with information about cannabis and mental health that is balanced and meets their needs.

The project builds on SSC’s earlier work in this area which focused on exploring the link between cannabis use and psychosis from the perspective of youth with lived experience.

The award-winning project  generated important information about the reasons young people use, their lived experience, and what they felt was important to communicate to other youth about key issues relating to cannabis and psychosis.

Our work is fully led by our Youth Advisory Committee, composed of young people across Canada who spearhead the digital, research, and evaluation components of the project. These youth hold a wealth of expertise spanning across mental health advocacy, harm reduction and lived experience. We don’t always agree on aspects of cannabis and mental health, but one thing is clear to us all: “just say no” has not worked and we need to provide other youth with the tools to make choices themselves. Scroll down to meet our team!

We’d love to hear from you! To get in touch, please write to us at info@cannabisandpsychosis.ca

About Us

Cannabis and Psychosis: Exploring the Link is a project of the Schizophrenia Society of Canada (SSC). Guided by the expertise of our Youth Advisory Committee, Content Advisors and Scientific Advisors, we aim to create a hub for youth to access and engage with information about cannabis and mental health that is balanced and meets their needs.

The project builds on SSC’s earlier work in this area which focused on exploring the link between cannabis use and psychosis from the perspective of youth with lived experience.

The award-winning project  generated important information about the reasons young people use, their lived experience, and what they felt was important to communicate to other youth about key issues relating to cannabis and psychosis.

Our work is fully led by our Youth Advisory Committee, composed of young people across Canada who spearhead the digital, research, and evaluation components of the project. These youth hold a wealth of expertise spanning across mental health advocacy, harm reduction and lived experience. We don’t always agree on aspects of cannabis and mental health, but one thing is clear to us all: “just say no” has not worked and we need to provide other youth with the tools to make choices themselves. Scroll down to meet our team!

We’d love to hear from you! To get in touch, please write to us at info@cannabisandpsychosis.ca

Make your own informed decisions

The information on this site is here to help you learn about cannabis and psychosis
from people with firsthand experience and other experts.

Our project is based on our key values:

Empowerment

We all know knowledge is power. As young people, we want access to balanced and accurate information so that we can make the best decisions for ourselves.

Choice

We’re not here to tell you what to do. We’re here to provide information and resources to help you make the choices that are right for you, because no one knows you better than yourself.

By & For Youth

Our project is made for young people, by young people.

Nothing about us without us.

Make your own informed decisions

The information on this site is here to help you learn about cannabis and psychosis from people with firsthand experience and other experts.

Our project is based on our key values:

Empowerment

We all know knowledge is power. As young people, we want access to balanced and accurate information so that we can make the best decisions for ourselves.

Choice

We’re not here to tell you what to do. We’re here to provide information and resources to help you make the choices that are right for you, because no one knows you better than yourself.

By & For Youth

Our project is made for young people, by young people.

Nothing about us without us.

Get to know our project

Legalization has shifted the conversation and increased the need for
public education about non-medical cannabis use in Canada.

We’re here to support young people to learn more about cannabis through
information created by youth, for youth – science based and relevant.

Get to know our project

Legalization has shifted the conversation and increased the need for public education about non-medical cannabis use in Canada.

We’re here to support young people to learn more about cannabis through information created by youth, for youth – science based and relevant.

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Digital

Ally Campbell
Ally Campbell
A member of the MHCC Youth Council since March 2014, Ally enjoys finding new ways to learn and grow in the mental health landscape; through music and art, training and education, and networking to create a broader more cohesive mental health community in Canada. Ally was elected as Vice Chair in March 2017 and recently stepped up as Chair in March 2019.
Anvita Desai
Anvita Desai
Anvita is currently pursuing a degree in Knowledge Integration with a minor in Cognitive Science at the University of Waterloo. She is passionate about working in the mental health sector, where she has been volunteering since she was 15! She hopes to continue to work with initiatives that value youth engagement, health equity, harm reduction and accessibility.
Ilyas Khamis
Ilyas Khamis
Ilyas is a peer support worker at a First Episode Psychosis intervention clinic and has lived experience with cannabis use and psychosis. Ilyas has been spending the past year sharing his story at community forums focused on cannabis and psychosis to promote awareness about the risks of cannabis use and try to promote a balanced conversation around substance use.

Research

Armaan Fallahi
Armaan Fallahi
Armaan is a mental health advocate and knowledge mobilizer. As an undergraduate neuroscience student at McGill University, his research is centred around mental health, being particularly interested in adolescence as a critical period for healthy neurodevelopment. Working with Exploring the Link is an excellent opportunity to employ his skills in knowledge dissemination of health science.
Alyana Lalani
Alyana Lalani
Alyana is a science student at the University of British Columbia. She is passionate about youth mental health literacy and advocacy. With the Burnaby School District, she created a survey on mental health, substance misuse, and coping strategies. Finding that many youth are unaware of the impacts of using drugs, Alyana is excited to provide accurate and reliable information through Exploring the Link.
Leif Harris
Leif Harris
Leif is currently studying psychology at Carleton University in Ottawa, Ontario. He has numerous connections in his community in regards to the support of mental health. He has spoken at conferences and political summits involved with homelessness, substance use, and mental health. His skills and resources make him a valuable asset to the development of Exploring the Link.
 Hargun Kaur
Hargun Kaur
Hargun is currently studying Health Sciences at McMaster University. She is incredibly passionate about mental health advocacy and has been working in the community and conducting research to develop more resilient and intuitive societies. Hargun is very excited to contribute her skills and experiences to educate and empower youth through Exploring the Link.

Planning, Evaluation, and Outreach

Our Outreach team is composed of youth that also participate in other groups.

Teresa Chen
Teresa Chen
Teresa studies Medicine at the University of Alberta. Mental health has had a major impact in her life and the lives of her loved ones, leading her to join several local, provincial and national mental health projects including Jack.org and ACCESS Open Minds. With cannabis legalization, she feels this is project is incredibly relevant to Canada’s healthcare landscape.
Kristy Allen
Kristy Allen
Kristy is completing a Masters of Public Health at Simon Fraser University. She studies the social determinants of mental health, focusing on youth engagement in community programs. She is the BounceBack Youth Engagement Co-Lead at CMHA-BC, co-facilitating the Youth Advisory Committee and supporting with research and program development.
Jimmy Tan
Jimmy Tan
Jimmy is a youth mental health advocate with a neuroscience background, currently studying medicine at the University of Toronto. With this project, Jimmy extends a background in knowledge mobilization and community-driven services. He previously advised the creation of a youth-friendly version of Canada’s Lower-Risk Cannabis Use Guidelines.
Will Landon
Will Landon
Waabishkigaabo (Will Landon) is a citizen of Wauzhushk Onigum Nation which is on the northern shores of Lake of the Woods in Ontario, he is of the Lynx Clan, and is Seventh Generation from the signing of Treaty #3. He is the proud father of a daughter.

Waabishkigaabo studied Political Studies at the University of Manitoba and represented Indigenous students as the Indigenous rep on the Student Union. From University he was elected to multiple youth representative positions at Grand Council Treaty #3, Ontario First Nation Young Peoples’ Council, and AFN National Youth Council. Holding multiple portfolios but focused primarily on mental health, social policy, and health policy.

Waabishkigaabo utilizes his experience in low context and high context culture relationship building to help build bridges between Canadian organizations and First Nations’ communities and people.

Connor “Little Thunder Spirit” Lafortune
Connor “Little Thunder Spirit” Lafortune
Nimkiins ndizhinikaaz bineshiinh ndondem Okidendawt ndonjiibaa Anishinaabe nini ndow.

Connor “Little Thunder Spirit” Lafortune is a second-year student of the Indigenous Studies program with a double major in Law and Justice as well as Race and Gender Studies. He is the Male Traditional Coordinator and Vice-President on the Indigenous Student Circle at Laurentian University. He occupies various roles on boards in Sudbury Ontario as both a Francophone and Indigenous person. He is currently working for the Thunderbird Partnership Foundation to create Life Promotion Toolkits for Indigenous peoples. Since high school, Connor has been a youth facilitator for La Fédération de la Jeunesse Franco-Ontarienne, where he runs workshops, activities, and speaks on panels for Franco-Ontarian high school students. In high-school, Connor sat on the First Nation, Métis, and Inuit council for his school board, where he still sits as a community member and had acquired an internship on his First Nation working alongside O’gema and council. Throughout his post-secondary career, he was able to participate in various Indigenous symposiums, panels, and policy paper writing sessions that aim to give a voice to Indigenous post-secondary students.

In the future, Connor aspires to attend Law School in Moncton, travel to Northern First Nations during his year of articling, and thereafter return to his First Nation to open his own Law practice.

Cannabis and Mental Health Project

The Cannabis and Mental Health Project is an online course for Canadian youth 14 – 24.

This project was inspired by our Youth Action Committee and will provide evidence based, engaging information addressing the relationship between cannabis use and mental health.

The Project is in partnership with YouthRex ,The Mental Health Commission of Canada and the Schizophrenia Society of Canada.
Stay tuned for our launch in the fall of 2021!

Kiah Ellis-Durity
Kiah Ellis-Durity
Cannabis and Mental Health Project Facilitator

Kiah holds a degree in Comparative Religion, Culture and Political Science. She currently sits on the national board of Canadian Students for Sensible Drug Policy. With Explore the Link, she works as a Project Facilitator for the Cannabis and Mental Health Project. Through her work Kiah aims at normalizing discussions around cannabis while empowering youth to make educated, well-informed decisions.

Maleesha Paskarathas
Maleesha Paskarathas
York University, Global Health Practicum Student

Maleesha is currently completing her degree in Global Health, specializing in Health Promotion and Disease Prevention at York University. She studies the social determinants of health and understandings of the broader influences that shape one’s health. Maleesha is passionate about mental health and hopes to work in further strengthening the connection in fostering better mental health support and awareness amongst youth and families of various backgrounds such as immigrant, refugee, diaspora, and racialized individuals. With lived experience of challenging mental health issues herself and her brother who was diagnosed with Schizophrenia, Maleesha sees the importance of better connection in mental health services and cultural understanding on creating healthier societies.

Natasha Taylor
Natasha Taylor
Practicum Student – University of New Brunswick

Natasha is entering the final year of her Psychology (B.Sc.) degree at the Saint John campus of the University of New Brunswick, minoring in Criminal Justice and Biology. She is passionate about promoting mental health awareness, making knowledge accessible, and giving a voice to individuals with lived experience. She is currently working as a research assistant at the Housing, Mobilization, Engagement and Resiliency Lab (HOME-RL) at the University of New Brunswick.

Katarina Gligorijevic
Katarina Gligorijevic
YouthRex Research Assistant

Katarina Gligorijevic (she/her) is a Research Associate at YouthREX, where she supports knowledge translation, as well as research and evaluation projects. She is committed to using data to drive social change, and has worked to advocate for cultural and youth-friendly urban spaces. Katarina studied Sociology at McGill, and went on to obtain a Master of Arts in Human Geography from the University of Toronto.

Chantal Phillips
Chantal Phillips
YouthRex Research Assistant

Chantal Phillips is a medical student at the University of Toronto. Her research and advocacy interests include addressing oppression, with a specific focus on harm reduction and anti-Black racism in academic, political, and health-based contexts. She is currently working as a research assistant for YouthREX and project manager of the Black COVID Resilience Health Promotion Project with Black Health Alliance.

Strategic Advisors

Scott Ste Marie
Scott Ste MarieCurrent Strategic Advisor
Scott is the Founder of Depression to Expression, helping people take control of their mental health and discover the strength within themselves. Scott is a Keynote Speaker, Podcast Host and YouTuber reaching over 20 million people worldwide with his positive mental health content. He is thrilled to be part of this project to help youth make informed decisions about cannabis use.
Kira London-Nadeau
Kira London-NadeauPast Strategic Advisor
Kira holds a Master’s Degree in Psychology from the University of Montreal where she studies cannabis and mental health in youth, particularly in sexual minorities. Her work/passion is centred around creating connections between science, policy and advocacy. Kira furthers this work as the Chair of the national organization Canadian Students for Sensible Drug Policy and the Co-Founder of project VoxCann, a Montreal-based bilingual cannabis education initiative.

Managers

Catherine Willinsky
Catherine WillinskyExploring the Link Project Manager
Catherine Willinsky holds a Master of Health Science, and is the former Manager of National Projects for SSC. She has managed all aspects of the previous Cannabis and Psychosis projects. She brings skills in project management, partnership development, facilitation, and youth engagement.
Sarah Roht
Sarah RohtManager of Operations
Sarah has extensive experience in marketing, project management, design and administration. Sarah looks forward to supporting the YAC team and advisors in achieving their goals.

Scientific Advisors

Dr. Oyedeji Ayonrinde
Dr. Oyedeji Ayonrinde
Dr. Oyedeji Ayonrinde is an Associate Professor of Psychiatry at Queen’s University, Kingston, Ontario. He trained and worked at the Bethlem Royal and Maudsely Hospitals in the UK before moving to Canada. He has worked as the Medical Director of the Early Psychosis Intervention Program for South East Ontario – Heads Up! As a specialist in both the addictions and psychiatry, Oyedeji has been actively involved in research and interventions aimed at awareness and reducing the risk of psychosis in youth and young adults. Oyedeji has additional qualifications in Research in Psychiatry (University College London), History of Medicine and an Executive MBA from Imperial College, London. He has received a number of knowledge and innovation awards including the Canadian Partners in Research, National Biomedical Science Ambassador Award (2019) for cannabis awareness initiatives.
Dr. Yarissa Herman
Dr. Yarissa Herman
Dr. Yarissa Herman is a clinical psychologist registered with the College of Psychologists of Ontario. She received her doctoral degree from the University of Western Australia where she completed her pre-doctoral internship with street-involved youth diagnosed mental health and addiction difficulties. Her doctoral research explored the relationship between cognitive functioning and outcomes in addiction treatment. Dr. Herman is currently a psychologist in the Complex Mental Illness Program at CAMH. The focus of her clinical and research work is the development, implementation, and evaluation of evidence-based interventions for individuals with severe mental illness and concurrent substance use disorders. Alongside her clinical work, Dr. Herman provides training and supervision across a number of therapeutic modalities including cognitive behaviour therapy, motivational interviewing, and mindfulness-based interventions.
Dr. Suzanne Archie
Dr. Suzanne Archie
Dr. Suzanne Archie, MD, FRCPC is an Associate Professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioural Neurosciences at McMaster University. She is the Brain and Behaviour Subunit Planner for the Undergraduate Medical Education Program at McMaster University and sits on the Education Scholarship Committee for the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioural Neurosciences. She has published on different aspects of early intervention including substance abuse, program evaluation, and ethnic diversity in pathways to care for a first episode of psychosis. Currently, Dr. Archie is engaged in a knowledge translation projects involving use of video game technology for early identification of psychosis and problematic cannabis use among teens. One of these knowledge translation projects, called Debris, is available on PlayStation4.
Dr. Phil Tibbo
Dr. Phil Tibbo
Dr. Tibbo is a Professor of Psychiatry and the Dr. Paul Janssen Chair in Psychotic Disorder at Dalhousie University, Halifax NS. He is also the Director of the Nova Scotia Early Psychosis Program (NSEPP) and President of the Canadian Consortium for Early Intervention in Psychosis (CCEIP). Dr. Tibbo’s research include studies of individuals at the early phase of, and individuals at risk for, a psychotic illness. He is a recipient of the Michael Smith Award from the SSC, the 2017 CAMIMH Champion of Mental Health Research/Clinician award and the 2018 RCPSC Specialist of the Year (Region 5).

CEO of Schizophrenia Society of Canada

Chris Summerville
Chris Summerville
As a family member (father and brother with Bi-Polar Disorder, a brother with schizophrenia, siblings living with depression, and two suicides in his family) and a recipient of mental health services himself, Chris has been the executive director of the Manitoba Schizophrenia Society since 1995 and has served as the CEO of the Schizophrenia Society of Canada for the last eleven years. With an earned doctorate from Dallas Theological Seminary, he is a Certified Psychosocial Rehabilitation Recovery Practitioner (CPRRP). As a regional, provincial and national leader and advocate for a transformed, recovery-oriented mental health system (services) he believes that mental health concerns should be addressed from a holistic and person- centred philosophy: bio-psycho-social-spiritual-recovery-empowerment, and community perspective.

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If you are in distress, please contact your nearest distress centre. If it is an emergency, call 911 or go to your local emergency department.

We would like to thank the Substance Use and Addictions Program of Health Canada, for their generous support of this project. The opinions and interpretations contained in this website are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of the Government of Canada.

Copyright 2021 Schizophrenia Society of Canada • All Rights Reserved    |    Droit d’auteur 2021 Société canadienne de la schizophrénie • Tous droits réservés

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